Chapter 34: The Battle of Card City Blockade 3

  The sentry platoon's marksmen fired without missing a shot, but compared to the number of Australian troops attacking, it was not enough to stop their charge. At a distance of 100 meters, also the best killing range for Type 56 rifles, the Red Guards shouted loudly, "Take aim, fire!"

  The performance of the indigenous soldiers was really mediocre. No matter how accurate they were, those who could close one eye and aim seriously were considered excellent; most of them closed both eyes and kept pulling the trigger; there were even cowards who stuck their faces tightly to the ground, with the muzzle pointing at the sky.

  The sound of gunfire on the battlefield suddenly intensified, and the Australian soldiers who were charging forward hastily hid themselves, but there weren't many hiding spots on the charging route. Most of the Australians fell to the ground, then got up again under the officers' scolding. They found that the gunfire on the battlefield was rapid, but not many people were actually hit. Remembering that the enemies in the trenches were just a group of natives who had picked up guns, the Australian soldiers' confidence suddenly surged. A group of upright animals, even if they were given guns, were still a flock of sheep waiting to be slaughtered. Many Australians even puffed out their chests, and it was a shame for the noble British Empire's army to cower in front of these animals.

  Qian Zhihao was about to go crazy, this damn opponent is not afraid of God... Waving his hand, shooting guns doesn't work, can we use cannons? The National Guard's portable 60mm mortar squad started to take effect, fortunately the native cannon handlers who were specially selected were relatively calm, although not very standard, but the area was large, every shot would hit a few Australian soldiers, plus the Red Guards' continuous shouting and kicking, under forced command, the shooting on the position finally made some sense, at least they wouldn't shoot into the sky, the Australian army's first probing attack was finally repelled.

  The natives saw that after they beat back the federal soldiers who had been lording it over them for more than a hundred years, several of them jumped out of their positions and shouted, but were pulled down by the nearby Red Guards, who also kicked them in the legs, "Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don't drag others down with you!"

  Unlike the 60mm mortar's boom, the Australian artillery was a "whooshing" sound across the sky, followed by intense explosions. The soldiers who were dragged into the trenches and kicked a few times only then realized they had escaped with their lives. Looking at the Red Guardsmen, in addition to fear, there was also a sense of respect.

  The morning passed quickly in such an attack, and the Australian army did not exert its full strength. Qian Zhihao also did not use the hidden machine gun bunker under the array. The indigenous soldiers gradually adapted to the battlefield atmosphere and slowly recovered to their normal training level. Although many of their brothers were sacrificed, they also shot and killed more white soldiers, which made them more confident. Every time the Australian army retreated, the indigenous people also quietly bit compressed biscuits with the red soldiers beside them, passed water bottles to drink a few mouthfuls, or leaned against the trench wall and pressed bullets into the empty cartridge one by one.

  The Australian general offensive began in the afternoon, and the follow-up troops arrived at Kalgoorlie with the headquarters of the 2nd Division of the Royal Australian Army. The 2nd Division came from New South Wales and was one of the two main forces of the Australian Army, a fully British-armed division equipped with large-caliber artillery. There was also an armored regiment in the 2nd Division, equipped with the latest British A10E1 cruiser tanks, commonly known as Mark II cruiser tanks in later generations. The so-called cruiser tank refers to a tank with relatively weak armor but high speed, suitable for rapid mobility, similar to the concept of a cruiser in the navy.

  Such a brigade had almost approached the British Army equipment at the beginning of World War II, and there were only two divisions in Australia, the other being the 1st Division stationed in Melbourne.

  The 25-pounder guns of the Second Division's artillery battalion began to lay down a barrage, unlike the old-fashioned cannons used earlier. The British Army's latest model, nicknamed "gun-howitzer" during World War II, had tremendous power, with one shell capable of destroying several meters of trenches. This caused huge casualties among the 102nd Guards Regiment, which had not built permanent fortifications and was using temporary trenches as cover. Many soldiers were even buried alive in the collapsed trenches. After a morning of fierce fighting, the native soldiers who had just begun to gain confidence suddenly fell into panic again. Despite the loud scolding from the Red Army soldiers, some frightened soldiers cried out and ran out of the trenches. Commander Qian Zihao ordered the blocking force to turn their guns around and aim at the fleeing soldiers, but then hesitated and called off the order. There was no need for them to shoot the fleeing soldiers themselves, as the Australian artillery's dense coverage would give those who stayed in the trenches a chance to survive. Those who ran out of the trenches were all killed by the explosions, turning into zero bodies, shattered limbs, or even vaporizing and disappearing completely.

  Qian Zhihao covered his ears and shouted, "What are our artillerymen eating? Isn't Captain Jiang in the artillery position?" No one answered him, the loud cannon fire on the position had temporarily deafened most of the soldiers.

  It's not actually fair to blame Jiang Yunzhi, although the Guards' towed 100mm howitzer had a larger caliber than the British 25-pounder, which was less than 88mm. However, the range of the howitzer was at most only over 7,000 meters, while the 25-pounder gun-howitzer had a range of up to 12,500 meters. The embarrassing thing is that the Guards' heavy howitzers simply couldn't reach the enemy, and if they rashly counterattacked, the result would be that their artillery would be completely destroyed. Although the howitzers were convenient to move, Jiang Yunzhi simply couldn't find enough military vehicles - in order to ensure the expedition to Perth and guarantee the supply of the armored regiment, the engineering troops had already been fully mobilized, and as for the Guards, due to caution against the local Australians, Zhong Yi hadn't arranged for them to have any engineering troops.

  Qian Zhihao was being bombarded and scolding loudly at the front line, while Jiang Yunzhi was also anxiously pacing back and forth, sweating profusely. Both commanders knew that under such intense bombardment, a psychological breakdown of the native soldiers was only a matter of time.

  "Commander Chiang, Hebal leads the cavalry regiment to report to you! Please assign tasks!"

  Jiang Yunzhi, whose collar was already soaked through, suddenly found Hebal standing in front of him. At the previous meeting, Hebal had been appointed as the chief of staff of the guard unit by Zhong Yi, and his rank of colonel as well as his position in the army were both higher than those of Jiang Yunzhi, who was only a lieutenant colonel and deputy commander of an armored regiment. However, Jiang did not feel any awkwardness about Hebal's military salute, but rather felt surprised that he would appear here. Wasn't it said that white soldiers would never point their guns at fellow whites? Jiang had not used those four tanks, not because he didn't have any intention to defend the 101st regiment.

  Jiang Yunzhi remained silent, and Hebal shouted again: "Commander Jiang, Hebal requests to assign combat tasks to the cavalry regiment."